Refrigerator.



EATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

M. J. BUNNELL. REFRIGERATOR. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 11,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 j/aiwilw flag/2192i,

A TTORNE Y5 WITNESSES:

No. 856,568. PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

' M. J. BUNNELL. REFRIGERATOR.

APPLIOATIO N IILBD AUG.11, 1906 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. K Q3 r 1' NVENTOR.

' A TTOR/VEYS Nll'ilhll) STATES PATENT @FFKQE.

MARCELLUS JACKSON BUNNELL, OF TAYLOR, Tums.

REFRIGERATDFX- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 11, 1906. Serial No. 330,194.

To (L lli whom it nut/y calmer-11 Be it known that l, hllARCELLUS JACKSON BUNNELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Taylor, in the county of Williamson and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Refrigerator, of which the following is a speeiticz'ition.

This invention relates to refrigerators and has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive device of this character for maintaining meats, butter, vegetables and other articles of food at a comparatively low temperature wit hout the employment of ice and similar refrigerants.

-A further object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator having a fabric jacket or covering the upper end of which is immersed in a tank of water thus causing the latter to be fed by capillary attraction downwardly over the walls of the refrigerator and maintain the latter at a. uniform temperature.

A further object is to" provide means for automatically supplying water or other cooling' medium to the tank and means for draining off the surplus liquid. p

A still further object of the invention'is to generally improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and ellioienisy.

With these and other objects in view the invention. consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, and illustrated in the accom 'ianying' drawings, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may he res rtcd to within the scope of the appended claims.

in the accompanying drawings part of this specification: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a. refrigerator constructed in accordance with my invention with the fabric. jacket or covering removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, a portion of the jacket being broken away to expose the shelves. Fig. 2% is a t rausvorse scctionalview. Fig. 4 is a pcrs 'icctivo view of the automatic \vaterd'ccder in inverted position. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a different i form of feeding device.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

lhc in'iproved device comprises ii base forming a Patented June 11, 1907.

and having a vertically disposed marginal flange 7 the base 5 being formed with an u struok portion 8 defining a trough 9 for tie reception of the water or other cooling medium.

Extending vertically from the central portion 8 of the base are standards or uprights 10 preferably formed of angle iron, as shown, and constituting supports fora plurality of shelves or partitions 11 adapted to receive the meat, butter or other articles of food to be preserved. The shelves 11 are supported by transverse bars 12 soldered or otherwise rigidly secured to the standards 10 and also preferably formed of angle iron. The oppo site longitudinal edges of the shelves 11 are. bent downwardly to form depending flanges 13 which over-la the side bars lZa-nd serve to prevent accir ental displacement of said shelves, the latter being also provided with transverse vertically disposed flanges 14 ar-- ranged at each end of the shelves, as shown. "Secured to the free or upper ends of the standards 10 is a pan or tank adapted to Surrounding the walls of the refrigerator and innnersed in the water in the tank 15 is a fabric covering or jacket 16 for feeding the water downwardly over the walls of the refrigerator and into the trough 9. The pan 15 is formed with a marginal flange 17 which engages the side walls of the standards 10and thus serves to support the pan inspaoed relation with the upper shelf of the refrigerator.

As a means for supplying water or other cooling medium to the tank o there is provided a feeding device preferably in the form of a. cylindrical tank 18 provided with de pending Vshapcd legs 15) and having a centrally disposed threaded nipple 20 for engagemen t with a correspondingly threaded cap 31. The cap 2] is provided with a yoke or guiding member '32 having an opening formed in the top thereof for the reception of the stem of a gravity-actuating valve .23. The valve .33 is provided with a terminal knob 24 which projects below the ends of the legs it) when the valve is in closed position thus pTPVL lllt/illg the escape of liquids from the tank. \Vhen the tank is placed in position on the pan l5, however the knob .24 by engagement with the s I 1 bottom of the pan will move the valve to 5 open position and thus permit the liquid provided with dcpcndinp supporting feet (3 within the tank to llow through the nozzle 21 r10 into the pan, the water being fed by capillary attraction downwardly over the walls of the refrigerator.

. As a means for supporting the tank 18 while filling the latter with water or other liquid there is provided a pair of spaced transverse bars 25 preferably disposed at opposite ends of the tank and having their terminals bent inwardly and soldere or otherwise rigidly secured to the walls of the latter. It will thus be seen that the bars 25 not only serve to prevent accidental displacement of the tank while filling the latter but also serve as handles or ihiger pieces when placing the tank on or removing the tank from the pan 15.'

In operation the cap 21 is removed and the tank filled with water and the latter inverted and placed in position in the pan 15. As the head of the valve engages the bottom of the pan the valve will be moved to open position thus permitting the water to enter the pan 15 and saturate the adj acent edge of the fabric jacket or covering 16, the liquid being fed by capillary attraction downwardly over the walls of the refrigerator and thence into the trough 9, the surplus liquid being discharged through a drain-pipe 26 into a suitable receptacle designed to receive the same.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings there is illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the tank or receptacle 18 is provided with a central discharge opening or aperture 27 which is normally maintained in spaced relation with the bottom of the pan by means of suit- :able supporting legs or standards 28.

From the foregoing description it is thought that the construction and operation of the device will be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art and further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. A refrigerator comprising a base provided with a trough and having a central rectangular projection the upper face of which constitutes a stationary supporting shelf, angle bars secured to the corners of the projections and forming standards, horizontally disposed bars ;connecting said standards, removable shelves su ported by the horizontal bars and provided with oppositely projecting longitudinal and transverse flanges, a liquid containing pan mounted on the free ends of the standards, a fabric jacket surrounding the walls of the refrigerator and of said up-struek portion, horizontally ,dis-, posed angle bars connecting the standards,

removable shelves supported on the angle bars and having their longitudinal edges bent downwardly to form flanges for engagement with the horizontal angle bars and their opposite ends bent upwardly to form terminal flanges, a liquid containing pan mounted on the free ends of the standards, tank resting on the, bottom of the pan for automatically supplying the latter with liquid, and a fabric jacket surrounding the walls of the refrigerator and having its upper edge immersed in the liquid in the pan and its lower edge dis posed at said trough.

3. A refrigerator comprising a base formed of a single sheet of metal having its central portion up-struck to form a central rectangular projection and provided with an integral marginal rim defining a trough, angle bars secured to the base at the corners of said proj ection and forming standards, horizontal angle bars connecting the standards, shelves resting on the horizontal bars and having their opposite ends bent upwardly and their longitudinal edges bent dowi'm'ardly to form depending flanges for engagemrnt with said horizontal angle bars, a liquid containing pan having a terminal flange for engagement with the free ends of the standards, and a fabric jacket surrounding the walls of the refrigerator and having its upper end in1 mersed in the liquid in said In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed 'my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MARCELLUS JACKSON BUNNELL. 

